A Tribe Called Quest - We Got It from Here... Thank You 4 Your Service ALBUM REVIEW

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A Tribe Called Quest is one of the best and most iconic groups of the 1990s. Their two albums The Low End Theory and Midnight Marauders are considered classics in the hip-hop community. In March 2016, one of the most versatile members, Phife Dawg, passed away. There have been rumblings about a new ATCQ record for a while, and it eventually happened at the end of that year with We Got It from Here... Thank You 4 Your Service, the sixth and now final release by the group. Let’s get into it and see how A Tribe Called Quest’s final album is.

We Got It from Here... Thank You 4 Your Service is a jazz rap album. Many thought that their 1998 album The Love Movement would be their final outing, having split just before its release, but boy, we were wrong. 18 years after The Love Movement, they’re back. Many people (myself included) were going to consider this a comeback album or a last hurrah to honor Phife Dawg, but they were wrong. We Got It from Here… feels so fresh. It’s like they never broke up at all. There are also a LOT of features, all of them uncredited. Kanye West, Kendrick Lamar, Anderson .Paak, Elton John, and André 3000 all feature, along with the usual collaborators like Busta Rhymes, Consequence, and Talib Kweli. If you’ve heard any track by A Tribe Called Quest, this is exactly the same sound that’s found throughout this record. All of the beats are groovy and perfect for their 90s boom-bap sound. It’s funny, it’s hard-hitting, and most of all, it’s very VERY political. The lyrics are written so well in this album that it’s enough to warrant a fleshed-out conversation. A question I’ve been asked since making this website is this: “Do I prefer To Pimp A Butterfly or We Got It From Here…?” Both records have their own qualities, but I have to go with We Got It From Here… because of its overall replayability. To Pimp A Butterfly portrays its message and themes a lot better, but I haven’t gotten into some of its songs as just songs. I just think that I can vibe with We Got It From Here… a lot more personally.

We Got It From Here… is a touchstone in hip-hop. This is when we say goodbye to one of the best groups in hip-hop history. This is the perfect comeback and goodbye album. One last hurrah to the Tribe and their legacy and impact on the hip-hop community. Do not miss this, please.


10/10


Stream We Got It from Here... Thank You 4 Your Service here

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